Here's another great tip from BobVila.com. It s important to make your home energy-efficient by sealing all gaps and insulating thoroughly. But don t overlook ventilation. Vent fans in the kitchen and bathrooms are required by code in most states, and they re a good idea everywhere. They help protect indoor air quality and get rid of excess moisture from cooking and bathing that can lead to mold problems and structural damage. In the kitchen, range hoods now come in all shapes and sizes to go with your cooking surface and d cor. They can be ducted through a ceiling or exterior wall. This often requires tearing out plaster or drywall and it s best done during a remodel. If you don t want a large hood, consider a cooktop with a downdraft vent ducted through the floor. Either way, ventilation fans should always be ducted to the outside, never into an attic or crawlspace. Bathroom ventilation fans have come a long way, too. Energy Star-certified models with built-in ceiling lights can do double-duty and save you money, especially since these are so often accidentally left on. And they re much quieter, too. Some installers recommend the roof-mount type of fan. The fan and motor are installed on the roof and ducted to the interior space. In some homes, this can make installation and service easier since the unit s out in the open instead of built into the ceiling. Find out more at BobVila.com: The ultimate home improvement web site! BobVila.com 2008

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Before you crank up the A/C this summer to keep cool, try a little old-fashioned ventilation first. Just keeping air moving can make your home feel much cooler. But it goes beyond opening a window. There s a little science to it. If you live where the nights are cool, keep your house sealed during the heat of the day. If it s well-insulated, it should only heat up about a degree an hour. Open windows and circulate cool air in the evening and early morning. Get some cross-ventilation going by opening windows on opposite sides of the house. Homes designed with cupolas, clerestory windows, vented skylights or even attic vents have the ability to create what s called a thermosiphon. Hot air escaping from the top of the house pulls warm air with it from the rest of the house and cooler air through lower windows, creating a constant cooling flow. Take advantage of those features or install an attic fan to create the same effect. It helps to minimize the heat you generate inside the house by using the oven, dishwasher and dryer in the evening or early morning hours. Even light bulbs can heat things up, so making the most of the daylight is both cheaper and cooler. If you still can t get the air moving, there s always the underappreciated window fan. For much less than it costs to run your air conditioner, a fan can give you the summer breeze you re looking for. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Here s another great tip from BobVila.com. Making your home more airtight with new windows, insulation or a finished basement can actually hurt your energy efficiency if you don t also ventilate properly. Until very recently, homes were built to breathe. Insulation was seldom used, windows were single-pane and drafts were just part of life. Home heating systems had no problem finding oxygen for combustion, attics were naturally ventilated and fresh outdoor air always found its way in somehow. Today, in the age of double-paned windows, whole-house insulation and vapor barriers, we re also seeing moisture problems that lead to mold problems and poor indoor air quality. It only makes sense that if you seal the house and don t circulate the air, the humidity and gases that once flowed freely in and out are now trapped inside. And they wreak havoc on the home s structure, not to mention its inhabitants. Consult your HVAC contractor to see if your home needs mechanical ventilation. A fan can provide outdoor combustion air for your furnace. Good combustion helps it operate more cleanly and efficiently and keeps it from depressurizing your house. An air-to-air heat exchanger brings fresh air into circulation in your heating and air conditioning ducts. It preconditions the air before sending it in, so you re not decreasing your system s efficiency with cold air. Find out more at BobVila.com: the ultimate home improvement web site! 2008 BobVila.com

Janet MacIlvaine and George James from the Department of Energy show Bob how they conduct a blower door test on the Habitat for Humanity Blitz Build project in Yonkers, New York. The blower door is used to measure the amount of air leakage in the building. Today's tighter homes need controlled ventilation, which is provided here by a Tamarack Preventilator exhaust fan. The fan has special controls that continuously maintain a slow ventilation rate and allow the occupants to boost the ventilation in the bathroom when needed. The test shows that the house is both well-sealed and well-ventilated.

Bob takes a tour of The Barnacle House, one of the first homes built in Dade County, to see how early settlers built to deal with the heat.

For the final show here in the Miami suburb of Kendall, Bob gives us the grand tour of the new kitchen with the happy homeowner. We see how the tropical theme has really come to life. A front garden has been added to the plans complete with plam trees and tropical plantings. Inside, a new ceiling fan has been installed and treatments added to the windows.

Low VOC paints are a safe and efficient option for your next project.Paints with low VOC's, or volatile organic compounds, have very low levels of toxicity and are odorless and non-flammable. They're a great choice for indoor projects, especially where ventilation is limited. They dry quicker than other paints, cutting down on the time between coats, and the best of all, clean up easily with water.

Keep these things in mind when you're planning a location for your home workshop. Make sure the floor is strong and level to support heavy equipment. The doorway should be wide enough to allow you to bring bulky materials and projects in and out. The space should be dry, so tools won't rust. Provide enough electrical outlets, light, and ventilation for a safe and efficient workspace.

Use the right solvent to clean up paint equipment. Check the paint can label. Use soapy water for water-based paints, mineral spirits for alkyd enamels, oil paints, and varnish. Acetone for epoxies, alcohol for shellac. Be sure to observe all fire, ventilation, and safety precautions.

Every year, tornadoes, hurricanes, and other severe windstorms rip through hundreds of towns and cities across the United States, injuring and killing people and causing millions of dollars in property damage. You can protect your family from injury caused by the high winds and flying debris of a windstorm by constructing or installing a safe room in your home. A safe room is different from the other rooms in your home because it has been specially designed and tested to withstand wind speeds of up to 250 miles per hour and the impact of a 15 pound 2 by 4 flying at a speed of 100 miles per hour. Typically, the safe room should be located in a central, interior, ground-floor area of the home for additional protection as well as accessibility. The basement of a home can also be used as a location for a safe room. A safe room can be incorporated into the construction of a new home, or it can be retrofitted into an existing home. The safe room can function year-round as a usable area, such as a bathroom, closet or utility room. Safe rooms can be constructed out of reinforced concrete, reinforced concrete masonry or combinations of wood frame and steel sheathing or concrete masonry infill. Safe rooms can also be manufactured, assembled and installed on site. Here are some things to consider when constructing or installing a safe room: Safe rooms must be structurally isolated from the main structure of your home. Safe rooms must be securely anchored to the foundation. Safe rooms installed in or over a crawl space must have a separate foundation. Safe rooms must have adequate ventilation. All components of safe rooms, including walls, ceilings, and door assemblies, must be designed and tested to resist the specified wind forces and prevent perforation by windborne debris.